


Walled and Protected

by grains_of_saturn



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Challenge fic, M/M, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-20
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2018-10-21 04:32:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 994
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10677753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grains_of_saturn/pseuds/grains_of_saturn
Summary: The King of Lucis will be expected to produce heirs; Prompto knows this. Noctisdefinitelyknows this.





	Walled and Protected

**Author's Note:**

> For fandomweekly, challenge #38, 'bloodline'.

It was impossible to walk the streets of Insomnia without being aware of _those statues_ , ancient landmarks set as representation of the long line of rulers that maintained the city up to the present day. Even were one to have only the most cursory knowledge of the Lucian royal family, those basic facts still told of the line that carried the Crystal through from antiquity on; the Crystal granted its power to humanity, but only through the King of Lucis. It was the responsibility of the ruling monarch to lend their powers to the Wall; even if that territory had been greater in years past, it was still the primary force that kept Insomnia under protection.

That knowledge was ever-present, but it was almost easy to forget about how precarious that power was. To most who were born and raised within Insomnia's walls, it was a fact as plain as the rise and fall of the sun; the King protected the kingdom, and so, there was nothing to worry about. Whether they recalled the previous rulership of King Mors, or were only aware of Regis, it was a situation that had kept the peace across living memory. Only those close to the royal family were truly aware of how much spirit it took to keep that peace; any given layperson could think _doesn't King Regis look old, these days?_ but pass it off without a second thought.

Prompto knew the look that Noctis had when he was worried about his father. There was little he felt he could offer in consolation, but he felt that he at least _knew_ it. It was understandable; the ongoing effort of keeping the Wall up was taking its toll on the current king. Noctis was being raised with the knowledge - everpresent, every day - that there would come a time in which that duty would fall to his shoulders. He would have to maintain the wall, he would have to rule the people, he would have to _take the place of King Regis_ \--

Prompto also knew that Noctis didn't appreciate him raising the subject. If their leisure time was spent within the city or at Noctis's apartment, the mood that took them most often was one of freedom. After school, they could do what they wanted. At the weekends, the time was theirs alone. It was a falsehood, of course; school brought the need to study, and the fact that _your time is not your own_ was one that always lay heavy across Noctis's schedule. And yet, it was still fun to pretend. Easy to believe, if they tried hard enough. They could talk and laugh together like they were just two students, any two students that could have been in any classroom, anywhere within the city.

Students dated, sometimes. Relationship drama seemed to be the most natural state of many of Noctis and Prompto's peers; there were always whispers of just _who was dating who, who was kissing who, I saw him behind the old school building with_ \--. It all seemed quite exhausting, and Prompto was almost quite glad that he'd managed to avoid that for most of his academic career thus far. That behavior seemed a thousand miles away from what he shared with Noctis - more simple and yet more complicated, something that felt both easy to understand and like its breadth was too wide to be summed up as a concept, both at once.

_This is what love is, right?_

_We're in love, aren't we_

Nights would be spent at the apartment, those Fridays in which the rest of the weekend felt limitless. For the most part, Prompto could shake off his concerns - but sometimes a thought would lodge firmly into his mind, and wouldn't let him go. As it was, the subway journey that evening had taken Prompto past one of those statues--... only for the briefest moment, but that was enough to set off a pattern of inevitability inside of him.

"... Do you think you'll ever, uh--..."

"Mm?"

They lay against the sofa, blankets draped against them. (More comfortable than the bed, and with a better view.) Prompto hesitated, nestled against Noctis's shoulder. He glanced up, catching that questioning gaze, and then looked away. "You think you'll--... ever have kids?"

Noctis didn't pull away completely, but he did lean back in his surprise. "Where did _that_ come from?! Uh, well--..." He shrugged. "I don't know. Hadn't really thought about it."

 _That's a lie_ , Prompto thought. _There's no way you'd be allowed to just 'not think about it'._

"They're probably expecting you to though, aren't they?"

"Y-yeah, well--... that's in the future. I'm not planning on _that_ any time soon."

"Mm." _Like the wall. Like taking the place of King Regis. Like--... like all of that_. "I mean--... you're dating a guy, right?" Prompto attempted a laugh (but could do little more than _attempt_ ). "I don't think _producing heirs_ works that way."

"... What are you saying?" (Prompto said nothing in response; he wasn't too sure _what_ he was saying.) "... There's adoption, isn't there?"

Even mentioning _that_ brought up all sorts of associations that Prompto couldn't put into words. He still smiled, though; _you're trying, aren't you?_

"It'd be great if it worked like that. It really would."

Noctis sighed, wrapping one arm around Prompto's shoulders. "I already said, didn't I? That's in the future. ...Don't think about any of that stuff right now. It's--... it'll all happen, in time. ...Can't stop it."

It felt charming to think that Noctis could pretend that there was any alternative. To Prompto, it seemed obvious that _there'll come a time when this won't--... when we won't_ \--... but Noctis made no play of entertaining _those_ thoughts, not for now. And the Wall still held, King Regis upheld its power, the Crystal still shed its light across the kingdom. For now, the peace was maintained, and the future far enough away that they could shield themselves from it - _just for now_.


End file.
